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Welcome to middle school math! I hope that you will find this class challenging and rewarding. My name is Mrs. Kheriaty and I will be your math teacher throughout the year.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Now that you are middle school students, you need to take some responsibility for your learning. This means that you should come to class prepared every day. We will begin class right when the bell rings, and at this time you need to be in your seat with all your materials ready. Your materials include:

Bring these to class every day. Once you have your materials ready, begin working on the Daily Review problems written on the board.

You will have homework every night, and to receive full homework credit you need to try to complete all of the assigned problems. Your homework should take you about thirty minutes or so per night. Usually, you will have a little time in class to work on homework. Use this time well.

If something we learn in class seems difficult to understand, don’t forget to ask me for help! I want you to get the best education you can while at St. Catherine, and that means that I will help you when you’re having a hard time. You may also talk to me about anything else that concerns you. I am here for you, and remember that you can talk to me whenever you feel you need to.

YOUR GRADE

Homework will be a big part of your grade. It will be graded on completion rather than accuracy. To receive full credit on your homework, you must turn it in on the day it is due, showing all your work, with answers for each one. Getting full credit does not necessarily mean having 100% of the answers correct; it means that you need to show me that you have honestly attempted all of the problems. If you have all of the problems completed, all of your work, and answer attempts for all of the problems, you will get full credit, even if not all of the answers are correct. Homework is worth 10 points each, and there will usually be five to ten homework assignments for each unit. It will be graded based on this scale:

Daily Homework Points Scale
Points	Criteria
0	No homework assignment or no problems attempted
1-3	Few problems attempted, most incomplete or without steps shown
4-6	Half of the problems included or several attempted but incomplete
7-9	Nearly all problems completed, a few are incomplete or missing
10	All problems completed with steps clearly written showing all work

*A problem is not completed unless it has both the work and an answer, unless it was possible to use mental math.

After that, you will receive extra credit on your homework assignments for each problem answered correctly in the Daily Review.

Unless there is a special exception, you cannot receive full credit for a homework assignment turned in late. You will lose one point on the assignment for every day it is late.

-if you are absent, turn in your homework on the day you return. If you are absent for an extended period of time, please see me to discuss the due date.

-you will receive three Free Late Homework Passes each quarter that you can use whenever you need. This does not excuse you from turning in your homework! It simply means that if you turn in your homework late with a Free Homework Pass, I will not take off any points until after the assignment is three days late.

Quizzes will be given a from time to time and they will be unannounced and graded. I will never give you a quiz over something we have not yet discussed in class. Problems on the quizzes will be similar to the ones you’ve done in your homework. You may use your notes on quizzes, so be sure to take clear notes in class. Quizzes will be 25 points each, and there will usually be two quizzes for each unit.

Tests will be given at the end of each chapter. Tests will be announced and graded. Before every test we will have a review day where you can ask questions about anything from the chapter that was difficult. The tests will always be over material we have covered in class.

Projects will be assigned once in awhile, and one project will count as one test grade. You will receive full instruction for each project as it arises. The test grade will be worth 100 points each.

I expect you to pay attention and write down notes from the board in class. If you exhibit good behavior in the classroom without disrupting any other students, you will receive full credit in your class participation grade. Class participation also includes actively playing a role in partner work or in group discussions. It is worth 50 points per trimester.

You need to have a one-inch binder that is just for math, with 4 dividers in it (5 dividers for seventh graders). When it is time for a test, you will turn in your binders to receive a Binder Grade. If you miss a test due to an absence, your binder will be due the day you return to school. To receive full credit for your binder, you will need to have the following in it:

▪ A divider marked “Handouts”: in this section, include your Daily Assignment Sheet, the syllabus, and anything else I give you in class that I tell you to put in the “Handout” section. To receive full credit in this section, you need to have your Daily Assignment Sheet filled out with all of the assignments neatly written for that chapter.

▪ A divider marked “Homework”: in this section, include all of your homework assignments in order of the date they were due. You should have written the date they were due as part of the heading on your homework. To receive full points in the homework section, you need to have every homework assignment from the chapter in your binder. After you have taken the test, you do not need to keep homework assignments from that chapter. Before you throw your homework out, it might be wise to make sure I have that homework recorded in the gradebook. You can check this when I hand out notecards with grades and missing assignments.

▪ A divider marked “Class notes”: in this section, include any notes I have written on the board, as well as your own notes if you would like. Make sure to write the date on your notes, and keep your notes in order by date. If you wish, keep a notebook in this section.

▪ (Seventh grade only) A divider marked “WASL”: in this section, keep WASL practice problems that we complete in class. Many of these problems were used on previous WASLs, and they will be similar to the problems you will see on your WASL. These are good study tools for the WASL.

▪ A divider marked “Quizzes/Tests”: in this section, include all of your quizzes and tests from the whole year. Save all of your quizzes and tests from the whole year and keep them in your binder.

If all of these elements are present in your Math Binder at the time of the chapter test, you will receive full credit for your Binder Grade. The Binder Grade is worth 30 points per unit.

To help you succeed in my class, you will need to follow a few simple guidelines.

Respect your classmates. Exclude no one when you are completing partner work. If someone says the wrong answer in class, avoid laughing or making fun. Try not to prevent others from learning by distracting them during class time.

Respect your teachers. Speak politely to them, and avoid eye-rolling and other nonverbal signs of disrespect.

Respect your belongings. If you keep them neat and organized, they will stay nice longer. Please do not intentionally ruin any of your things. Similarly, do not damage others’ property. This includes your textbooks, which belong to the school.

Math class only occupies 2.5% of your week. When you are in class, you need to pay attention. This means taking notes, especially on topics you find challenging, and asking questions. If time is given for homework completion, use it for your assignment. The homework will be finished much more quickly this way. Homework that was intended to last twenty minutes can take several hours if done with divided focus. During class, work hard, and outside of class, play hard.

Bring with you all that you need for class. When you forget your supplies and need to retrieve them from your backpack or your classroom, it makes a distraction. Also, come to class ready to learn. As much as you can, keep an open mind toward the subject and toward your own academic abilities. If you try to learn new things, you will.

MATH SYLLABUS

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

YOUR GRADE